Hydraulic weighing and feeding device.



J. R. SHARP.

PATENTED DEC. 1906.

HYDRAULIC WEIGHING AND FEEDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED mmze. 190s.

IIIZ 1 g 2 SHEETSSHEET l.

i No. 839,656. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906. I

J. R. SHARP. HYDRAULIC. WEIGHING AND FEEDING DEVICE.

'APPLIOATIOH FILED JAN. 26, 1906.

2 SHEETSBHEBT 2.

JAMES R. SHARP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HYDRAULIC WEIGHING AND FEEDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed January 26, 1906. Se: a1 lo. 297,953-

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES R. SHARP, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in HydraulicWeighing and Feeding Devices; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hydraulic weighing and feedingdevices for use in well-drilling.

When drillingat a considerable depth, it is important to know and toregulate the pressure at which the tool is operating on the rock. Thisis particularly important in coredrilling, as too great pressure in manyinstances Will damage the tool. Furthermore. in fishing for a tool it isvery important to know when the grappling implements'haw engaged thetool and to enable the operate; to determine if or not the tool issupported thereby;

The devices heretofore employed to accomplish these results areexceedingly large and have been secured upon the revolving table and areconsequently inconvenient to the op erator and tend to prevent the useof long pipe-sections and are therefore frequently omitted.

The object of the invention is to provide a cheap, simple, andthoroughly reliable device operated by hydraulic pressure or otherfluidpressure and whereby the weight supported thereon can at all timesbe determined by reference to a suitable gage positioned near theoperator, whereby the pressure exerted by the drill can be instantlyknown and perfectly regulated.

It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide a device wherebyin fishing the operator can instantly determine if the grapplinginstruments have engaged the lost t ol.

Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a device of theclass described which is at all times ready for use and can never underany circumstances be in the way of the operator and the use of whichenables sta n ard pipe-scctions to be employed.

- water supply and.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and morefully pointed. out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly broken, of awell-derrick and operating mechanism provided with' means embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same, taken on line 2 2of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the weighing andfeeding mechanism. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the same.

As shown in said drawings, A indicates as a whole the well-derrick,which may of cm use he of any suitable kind or construction and at thebottom of which is the usual revolving table, whereby the tool isrotated when in operation. This may be driven from any suitable sourceof poweras, for instance, a steamengin ewhich is not shown and the powerof which is communicated through any suitable arfa-ngement to saidtable. As shown, 8. main shaft B is journaled 0n the side of thederrick, on which are suitable pulleys to receive the drive from theengine or motor and to communicate the same to the table B and alsocommunicate the drive to the hoist B which of course may he of anydesired description and material. C indicates the pipe, which may beused in any suitable length of section and with which is connected apipe 0, whereby water is delivered into the pipe 0 as is usual.

The usual tackle is employed for hoisting and lowering the tool, andsupported on the. 5

lower block D thereof is the weighing and feeding device. Thiscomprises, as shown,

a cylinder D, having, as shown, an integral head (1 at the bottom, inwhich is a central ap- 1 erture containing a gland (i through which thepiston-rod (1 extends. Said piston-rod is secured at its inner end tothe piston (1 which, as shown, comprises an upper and a lower plate D Dbetween which is secured hydraulic packing (1 having the edges turneddownwardly, as shown in Fig. 3. At the lower end of said piston-rod isprovided an eye (Z adapted to receive a C-hook-ol or other suitablemeans for engaging and. supporting the pipe to permit rotation" of thesame.

means of a flexible L (pressure, and in said pipe is provided a gage 9of any suitable kind and An inlet-pipe (1 opens into the lower. end ofsaid cylinder and is connected, by

nose (1*, with a source of der D by increasing the pressure within the Iof the pipe, rod, and tool or reducing the pressure within the cylinderto sustain less of the on which the pressure may conveniently beindicated in pounds and may, if desired, also be indicated in feet fordifferent sizes of tools. As shown, a removable head (1 is bolted on theupper end of the cylinder, and a bail d is pivotally engaged uponintegral bosses d, one 011 each side of the cylinder at its upper end,and affords means for supporting said cylinder upon the hook of theblock D. For this 1purpose a link d of any suitable kind is emp oyed, asshown-in Fig. 1. Means are provided to hold said weighing and feedingdevice in alinement with the bore, and for this purpose ways E and E areprovided on each side of the center of the derrick and between whichsaid cylinder is suspended and rigidly bolted on the head d", andextending between the ways is a bar e, which acts to prevent said devicefrom swinging or rotating; also, as shown, means are provided to preventthe piston from rotating in the cylinder, and for this purpose anapertured lug F is provided on one or more sides of the cylinder nearthe bottom, and an arm f is rigidly secured on the outer end of thepiston-rod near the eye and extends laterally into alinement with saidlugs and then upwardly through the same, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4,thereby preventing movement of the piston in the cylinder exceptlongitudinally thereof.

The operation is as follows: When inserting or removing the tool fromthe well, the device need not be used and then may be disconnected andthe pipe-sections connected directly to the block if desired. When thedrill is in operation, it is important to know approximately thepressure exerted thereby on the rock at the bot-tom of the bore, andthis is accurately shown by the weighing and feeding device, which ishung on the lower block and engages between the ways and the pipe isengaged thereon.

The lower chamber in the. cylinder and pipe (Z now being filled withwater or other suitable fluid, the pressure is applied sufficient toraise the piston and the tool and pipe thereon, and the pressurerequired is read in pounds or other scale to indicate the actual totalweight. The pressure is then reduced in said cylinder and pipe by as'muchas the pressure to be exerted by the tool on the rock and ismaintained constantly until another pipe section or sections are added,when of course the pressure in the cylinder will be increased to balancethe increased weight.

The pressure at which the tool engages at the bottom of the bore can bethus regulated and controlled by the operator in the cylincylinder tomore nearly support the weight.

gravity of the same, thus enabling the operaj tor .to graduate with theutmost n1cety the operation of the an minimalof rock or materialoperated upon and other conditions existing.

In fishing the device is particularly serviceable, inasmuch as itsometimes occurs that it is difficult to determine with certainty if ornot the fishing or grappling tools have positively enga ed the ipe ortool to be lifted and remove from t e bore. This can of course beinstantly determined by the use of the weighing and feeding mechanism ordevice, inasmuch as the pressure indicated upon the gage will instantlyaugment should the grappling-tools have caught the tool or pipe.

'hile I have described my invention as hydraulic in operation, obviouslycompressed air or steam may be employed, and I do not purpose limitingthis application for patent otherwise than necessitated by the priorart, as obviously various details of construction may be varied withoutdeparting from the principles of my invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. A feeding and weighing mechanism of theclass described embracing a hoistingtackle, a cylinder supportedthereon, a piston therein, a piston-rod extending downwardly through thehead of said cylinder, means for preventing the piston from rotatingwithin the cylinder, a pipe adapted for connection with a source ofpressure and opening into the lower end of said cylinder and apressure-indicating gage connected in said pipe convenient forinspection by the operator.

2. A feeding and weighing mechanism of the class described embracing ahoistingblock, a pipe-rod, a cylinder, a bail thereon adapted to be enaged on the hoisting-block, a piston within t e cylinder, a piston-rodextending through the lower head and adapted to engage. the pipe-rod,means on said pistonrod adapted to hold it from rotating within thecylinder, a pressure-pipe opening into'the lower end of said cylinder,anindicatoii connected therein 'ancl'means for varying' 'the pressurewithin said cylinder. 7

3. In axlevice of the class described, a hoisting-tackle; a hydrauliccylinder, a bail thereon adapted to afford means for supporting saidcylinder upon the hoisting-tackle, a gland in the lower head of thecylinder, a piston within the cylinder, a piston-rod thereon extendingthrough said gland, an eye in said rod for attachment with the pipe-rod,a pressure-pipe opening into the bottom of said cylinder and a gage insaid pipe at a point convenient for the inspection of an operator andmeans holding the piston from rotation in the cylinder.

4. In a device of the class described, awellderrick and itshoisting-tackle, a hydraulic cylinder, .a bail pivoted at each sideofthe' same, and adapted for engagement by the hoistingtackle, centralvertical guides on said derrick, a transverse bar on said cylinder ICO 7provided with downturned ends adapted to over the bore, a piston in saidcylinder adapted to support the tool, means admitting pressure into thecylinder and a gage to indi- I cate pressure.

5. In a device of the class described the combination with thehoisting-tackle, of a fluid-pressure weighing and feeding mechanismsupported on said tackle, a pressure-pipe I leading therefrom, anindicator connected in the pipe at a point convenient for the inspectionof the operator, a grooved guide on each side of the weighing mechanismand extending longitudinally of the same, a transverse bar rigidlyfastened on the top of said feeding mechanism and engaging in saidgrooved guides and holding said mechanism in register with the bore.

6. A device of the class described embracing a hydraulic weighing andfeeding device comprisin a cylinder, a piston therein, a piston-rodadapted to support and regulate the pressure of a tool in operation apivoted bail for supporting the same on the hoistingtackle, rooved waysparallel with said cylin- I said cylinder, groove der an adapted to holdthe feeding and weighing mechanism in axial alinement with the bore andmeans engaged in said grooved ways for preventing said feeding devicefrom rotating.

7. A device of the class described embracii -.g the hoisting-tackle, ahydraulic weighing and feeding device supported thereon and acting toregulate pressure of a tool at the bottom of the bore from zero to fullweight of the tool and comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, apiston-rod projecting through the bottom of said cylinder, a pipe-rod,vertical grooved ways one on each side of the cylinder l and extendingparallel therewith between which the cylinder is supported in axialalinement with the bore, a bar rigidly engaged on the top of saidcylinder and engaging in said i grooved ways and means preventing thepiston from rotating. I 8. In a device of the class described thecombination with a cylinder, a piston therein, a piston-rod projectingfrom said cylinder a plurality of grooved guides, means engaging saidgrooved uides for preventing rotation of said cylinder, means connectingsaid I piston-rod with a drill-pipe, a pressure-pipe I opening into saidcylinder and a gage on said 1 pipe whereby the amount of pressure may beascertained.

9. In a device of the class described the combination with a pipe-rodand hoisting mechanism of a cylinder engaged thereto I having adetachable top, a piston therein, a piston-rod projecting through thebottom of 1 said cylinder and supporting the pipe-rod, means preventingsaid piston revolving in d guides, means engaged in said grooved guidespreventing said cylinder from rotating, a pressure-pipe opening I intosaid cylinder and means for determining the upward pressure exerted onthe piston.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES R. SHARP.

